Divergence
by Linay
Summary: Fearing the future, the ruling demon clans take desperate measures to ensure the survival of their race – the purging of the human threat. This is the story of Kagome and Sesshoumaru's fight for survival, told in bits and pieces.  twisted canon universe
1. Fickle Future

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rumiko Takahashi's characters.

**Author's Notes: **The chapters in this story have largely been written in response to the prompts given at the livejournal community, dokuga contest (see the link in my profile). I am ever so grateful to the moderators of the community for the challenges and inspiration they have provided.

Please be aware that chapters will consist of short one shots and drabbles, as submitted to the LJ community for challenges and contests.

**Current Theme/Prompt: **Instinct

**1. Fickle Future**

She was running, the urge to flee singing in her blood. All she heard was the wild thumping of her heart against her ribcage. All she felt was the cold whipping of the wind against her burning skin. But above the pain and fear, Kagome felt despair tightening its chains around her chest.

"_Don't let them take it away from you," he had told her, his voice a hoarse whisper against her cheek. "Protect it with all your might. It's all we have left." _

Her lungs screamed for oxygen as she struggled to ignore the burning ache spiking up her calves. Behind her, she could hear the heavy footfalls of her pursuers growing louder by the second. The crumbling grey concrete of snow laced buildings flashed by her as she sped through the narrow alleys, ignoring the shouts that echoed around her. She swerved around a corner, barely managing to keep her footing on the icy pavement.

"There she is!"

Kagome cursed, sliding to a messy stop as she was confronted by a trio of her assailants at one end of the alley she had just turned into. She spun around to dash out the way she came but was met by the sight of three more. With a scowl, she crouched, tensing like a cornered animal.

"Do you feel that?"

"There hasn't been one with this much spiritual energy in centuries!"

They slowly advanced, closing her within their circle.

"How could we have missed her?"

Kagome's eyes darted around, searching for an opening as she crouched and prepared to leap forward. She waited, forcing her panting breaths to slow as they neared her with weapons held high. The demon nearest her reached out a hand, his greedy fingers ready to snatch her freedom away. Swallowing her fear, she lunged forward, ramming her shoulder into his stomach. With a pained grunt, he fell to the cold ground and she launched herself forward, her arms paddling through the air as her feet slipped uselessly on the smooth ice coating the pavement. Just as she finally pushed off the ground in a giant lunge forward, she felt a harsh tug at the hem of her tattered kimono. With a cry, Kagome fell forward onto her palms. She ignored the jolt of pain that shot up her arms from her wrists and scrambled to regain her footing. She yanked the edge of her clothing from the groaning man on the ground and darted away – only to be stopped by iron fingers curling around her wrist and swinging her around forcefully. She spun into a wall, her back cracking painfully against the rough cement. With a pained gasp, she crumpled to the ground.

"I'm surprised she didn't try to purify you." One of the men cautiously approached her still form. He crouched and touched her pale cheek with a gloved finger.

"She did," he answered, lifting his burnt palm for inspection. "It hurt like hell." He stood to brush the snow from his clothes, "Check her out, will you?" He turned to shout at the other hunters. "Stop standing around and get the gear, you idiots."

The demons jumped at the command, running back to fetch the tools they had discarded when they had started to give chase to their prey. Their leader stepped closer to the prone girl, his nose twitching slightly as he inhaled her scent. He dropped to one knee and lifted her limp wrist, sniffing it delicately.

Suddenly, the alley was filled with light. High-pitched screams rent the air as the demon twisted and turned in pain, engulfed in purifying flames. Kagome sat upright, her lips set in a grim line as she gripped his hand and channeled her power into his burning flesh.

As his body fell away, disintegrating into char and ash, Kagome heard the frantic footsteps of his returning comrades. Fighting to control a wave of dizziness, she pushed herself to her feet and took off running in the opposite direction.

From high above, golden eyes tracked her movements with deceptive calm. He was a pale statue, a sentinel in crisp white silk staring down at the events below from the edge of one of the tall buildings. Though he had remained still and silent, the encounter had been excruciating to watch – and when she had been cornered, he'd had to fight the screaming instinct to leap from his perch and obliterate her assailants. After all, if she were killed, Tenseiga would not work for her again.

But he had waited, knowing better, and watched with baited breath. As she ran toward safety, he took to the air, tracking her progress with narrowed eyes. He watched as she scrambled up her ancestral shrine's stone steps with tears in her eyes. Decimated during the Great War, all that remained of her past sanctuary were bits of splintered wood, piles of rubble – and the bone-eater's well, now only a blackened hole in the ground. It must have been a shock, he thought, to see the destruction for the first time. _No,_ he corrected himself, noting the sharp lines of grief etched into her young face. The future was fickle, and exacted pain, fear, loneliness and sorrow like none other. His jaw tightened as, with a heaving sob, Kagome threw herself into the darkness and was caught up in a brilliant flash of light.

When her scent disappeared completely, her watcher gracefully descended from his vantage point. With even, measured steps, he approached the remains of the well and leaned forward slightly to peer into its depths. The time for him to uphold his promise to the miko was near – and he had never been one to go back on his word.

The Lord of the West's lip curled slightly, a sneer directed at the darkness of the well. Soon, Sesshoumaru thought, soon he would rain retribution upon his enemies and those twisted by the traitorous Shikon jewel.

Soon, they would force history to bend to their will.


	2. Home

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rumiko Takahashi's characters.

**Author's Notes: **The chapters in this story have largely been written in response to the prompts given at the livejournal community, dokuga contest (see the link in my profile). I am ever so grateful to the moderators of the community for the challenges and inspiration they have provided.

**Current Theme/Prompt: **Flame (100-word drabble #106)

**2. Home**

As the well's magic loosened its hold, gravity set in, and Kagome collapsed in a disconsolate heap. Swiping at the blood, dirt and tears streaked on her face, she willed herself into climbing out.

Once over the ledge, the smell hit like a wall – making her want to cry, vomit and scream. Heavy smoke stung her eyes, and flames still licked at the cracking timber – all that remained of the village she'd called home.

There was nowhere left to run. She'd fled one nightmare only to be faced with another.

Before falling, he'd told her to seek his brother.

_Sesshoumaru_.


	3. Finder's Fee

**Title: **Finder's Fee  
**Author:** Linay**  
Theme: **Tremor – Drabble 107  
**Genre:** Romance, Angst, Adventure**  
Rating: **T**  
Warnings: **None  
**Word Count: **300

**Summary:** Being found isn't all it's cracked up to be.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rumiko Takahashi's characters.

**Author's Notes: **The chapters in this story have largely been written in response to the prompts given at the livejournal community, dokuga contest (see the link in my profile). I am ever so grateful to the moderators of the community for the challenges and inspiration they have provided.

**Current Theme/Prompt: **Tremor (300-word drabble #107)

* * *

**3. ****Finder's Fee**

As it turned out, she didn't find Sesshoumaru. _He _found _her._

She'd been attempting to climb out of a gulley – in a direction she could only hope was West – when she looked up to see him standing at the crest of the sharp incline, looking down his nose at her.

"Lord Sesshoumaru," she greeted him respectfully, dipping her head in what she hoped could still be perceived as dignified – even with the twigs and leaves sticking out from her hair.

"Miko," He returned evenly.

Dread knotted her stomach, and Kagome decided to wait until she was on as equal ground as possible before trying to talk with Inuyasha's brother. And if he was just going to stand there and watch her struggle, she might as well take her sweet time. She reached for an exposed root, testing its strength with a few experimental tugs. With an unladylike grunt, she pulled herself upward, scrambling up the hillside at a snail's pace.

"Miko," Sesshoumaru asked, when she finally clambered over the edge, "Where is my half-brother?"

Kagome straightened, brushing her hands on her green skirt. She raised her head and forced herself to meet his pale amber eyes.

"He is dead." She could not stop the tremor in her voice.

Sesshoumaru's brow arched.

"It was the night of the new moon. And a band of dragon demons descended on the village."

Something flashed behind his eyes and was gone in an instant. With nothing but a thinning of his lips, he turned on his heel to walk away.

"Follow." A barked command.

Kagome was very glad she hadn't needed to beg for permission to go with him. And she would've obeyed him as well – had the ground not suddenly rushed up to meet her. _How curious_, she thought as her vision darkened.


	4. Wake Up

**Title: ** Wake Up  
**Author:** Linay**  
Theme: **Chest – Drabble #108  
**Genre:** Romance, Angst, Adventure  
**Rating: **T**  
Warnings: **None  
**Word Count: **200

**Summary:** Reality hurts

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rumiko Takahashi's characters.

**Author's Notes: **The chapters in this story have largely been written in response to the prompts given at the livejournal community, dokuga contest (see the link in my profile). I am ever so grateful to the moderators of the community for the challenges and inspiration they have provided.

This drabble won second place at Dokuga's Weekly Perfection Contest

**Current Theme/Prompt: **Chest (200-word drabble #108)

* * *

**4****. Wake Up **

Kagome woke with a start, her eyes wide and searching. Everything hurt, and she blinked past the dizzy veil of pain.

A pair of golden eyes, luminescent in the half-light, appeared in her field of vision.

"Inuyasha?" She rasped, squinting to see.

"No." The voice was deep and dark, and she felt the stirrings of ancient youki in the air around her.

"Oh, forgive me," she said, struggling to sit up, "Lord Sesshoumaru."

A clawed hand firmly planted on her shoulder, Sesshoumaru eased her back down with gentleness incongruent with the coldness in his face. Kagome frowned, her brow creasing; she was missing something, something important.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, where am I?" Panic crept into her voice.

"We are in a demon village. At an inn," he replied flatly. He tilted his head to consider her anxious expression. "You are safe here," he added shortly.

Kagome only grew more confused, her eyes searching Sesshoumaru's impassive face.

Then, reality caught up to her consciousness, the memories washing over her with tidal force. Time slowed to a crawl as her skin turned to ice. They were _gone_.

Pain of a completely different sort bloomed in her chest. She'd been wrong.

_Now_ everything hurt.


	5. Two for Tea

**Title: ****Two for Tea**  
**Author:** Linay**  
Theme: **Tuck – Drabble #109  
**Genre:** Romance, Angst, Adventure**  
Rating: **T**  
Warnings: **None  
**Word Count: **400

**Summary:** Sesshoumaru tires of Kagome's pity party.

Fearing the future revealed in glimpses through the bone eater's well, the ruling demon clans take desperate measures to ensure the survival of their race – the purging of the human threat. This is the story of Kagome and Sesshoumaru's fight for survival, told in bits and pieces. (twisted canon universe) This is the next installment of my ongoing serial, Divergence, which is found at .net/s/6363259/1/Divergence.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rumiko Takahashi's characters.

**Author's Notes: **The chapters in this story have largely been written in response to the prompts given at the livejournal community, dokuga contest (see the link in my profile). I am ever so grateful to the moderators of the community for the challenges and inspiration they have provided.

* * *

**5****. Two for Tea**

Kagome wondered why it still hurt to breathe.

Since passing through the gates of the Western Citadel, she'd had her every need met with polite deference. There had been food, fresh clothing, a soft futon and a private bathing area – which Sesshoumaru had graciously declared to be hers before disappearing down a long hall of gleaming hardwood floors.

_And yet…_

Kagome carefully set down her chopsticks. The lacquered breakfast tray that had been set before her yielded the most expertly prepared and pleasingly presented dishes – but she had no desire to eat. How could she when with every intake of breath, she felt the sharp, keen edge of grief twist between her ribs_._

Sesshoumaru tested the air with a delicate sniff. The bitter scent of old tears hung about the rooms he had given his human guest. With an irritated huff, he slid the door open with a definitive snap. The woman – _Kagome,_ his mind supplied – was seated beside her futon, listlessly playing with the fraying edge of the kimono he had given her. She did not look up.

"Miko," he said in low disapproving tones, "You dishonour your host."

"Oh!" Kagome started suddenly, startled as if he'd interrupted a daydream. "Forgive me, Lord Sesshoumaru. I was just…"

Her voice trailed off uncertainly as she blinked slowly. With a soft exhale, she rose slowly and bowed in greeting. The corners of Sesshoumaru's mouth turned down. Her movements were achingly slow, and her bearing was like that of a fragile, wounded bird. His eyes slid to her untouched meal.

"Is the food not to your liking, Miko?"

"Oh, it's wonderful, I'm sure," she said, shaking her head with a wry twist of her lips, "But I am…" She trailed off again, her eyes slipping away from his to focus on some unknown point over his shoulder. "It's not that I'm not grateful," she began again, "But I am not…" She lapsed into silence again.

"Not able to finish sentences?" He let out a long-suffering sigh. "You have spent long enough wallowing in self-pity, Miko."

"_What?_"

He arched a brow. Anger ignited in her eyes, and she fumbled for words. Sesshoumaru was suddenly a mere hairsbreadth away. The world suddenly turned on itself as Kagome found herself neatly tucked under the demon's arm. In three steps, he had launched into the skies, and Kagome did the only thing she could.

She screamed.


	6. A Grave Sight

Title: A Grave Sight  
Author: Linay  
Theme: Ignore – Drabble #110  
Genre: Romance, Angst, Adventure  
Rating: T  
Warnings: None  
Word Count: 200  
Summary: Sesshoumaru takes Kagome somewhere special.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Rumiko Takahashi's characters.

**Author's Notes: **The chapters in this story have largely been written in response to the prompts given at the livejournal community, dokuga contest (see the link in my profile). I am ever so grateful to the moderators of the community for the challenges and inspiration they have provided.

* * *

**6. A Grave Sight**

Kagome shifted, wriggling her fingers and toes . She'd given up screaming in favor of insulting Sesshoumaru's family lineage, his sense of honour - even his manhood. But after an hour, Kagome simply lapsed into silence.

Sesshoumaru was doggedly ignoring her.

When finally she sensed a slow descent, Kagome opened tired eyes. She blinked, squinting to make out the landmarks in the landscape below.

"Please," she said, her voice strained, "Let's go back."

"You cannot avoid this forever, Miko." His tone was neutral but brooked no room for argument.

He alighted on the soft turf and did not restrain her when she tore away from him and spun around, covering her face with her hands.

"Why did you bring me here?" Kagome demanded, "I never wanted to see this place again."

"We honour the dead by remembering their graves," Sesshoumaru replied, his deep voice disapproving, "And it would be an insult to attempt to forget them."

"Graves?"

Kagome looked around. Beyond the ruined village were mounds of freshly-turned earth, arranged in rows and marked with slabs of grey slate. All had been buried, even the human villagers.

"You did this?"

"Hn. Now," Sesshoumaru said, sweeping his arm toward her village, "Explain."


End file.
